MotoGP rookie Marquez shocked to be leading the championship
Marc Marquez admits he is shocked to have regained the lead of this year's MotoGP championship
The 20-year-old scored the second victory of his rookie campaign in a German Grand Prix at which chief rivals Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo were missing with injury.
He also extended his record of having finished on the podium in every race bar Mugello, where he crashed out while running second late on.
Despite such a record, Marquez said he had not anticipated his return to the top of the standings.
"I didn't expect after eight races to lead the championship," he said following his Sachsenring win.
"It's quite important for my first season, but we need to try and keep the same mentality, race by race, as we have now.
"Like Valentino [Rossi] always says the season is quite long, so we need to be quiet and try to do our best every race."
Asked whether winning a premier class crown at his first attempt was possible, Marquez said the fact the top five riders are currently covered by 37 points suggests the 2013 title race will be an incredibly close affair.
"I say to Valentino that we have five riders within 37 points," Marquez said, "and that will be interesting, a nice championship for sure.
"I think for the show that is better.
"Also for me, more riders in front is better because I can learn a little bit more.
"[In the German Grand Prix] OK I get a lot of experience, but I enjoy more the races, like Jerez, where I follow some riders and I need to push all race."
Valentino Rossi questions Sachsenring safety
Dani Pedrosa not dismayed to surrender MotoGP points lead
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special
How Quartararo is evoking an absent MotoGP great in 2022
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo has seized control of the 2022 MotoGP world standings after another dominant victory as his nearest rivals faltered. And he is very much heading towards a second championship echoing how the dominator of the last decade achieved much of his success
The human importance of Marquez’s latest enforced MotoGP absence
OPINION: Marc Marquez will likely sit out the remainder of the 2022 MotoGP season to undergo a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020. It is hoped it will return him to his brilliant best after a tough start to the season without a podium to his name. But it’s the human victory that will far outweigh any future on-track success he may go on to have
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Autosport, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock left by Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. Autosport analyses what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP’s Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How Honda's praise for its 2022 MotoGP bike has turned into doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022